Musical toy



L. H. DEBS.

MUSICAL TOY.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. 8. 19:9.

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS DEBS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT GOHN,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MUSICAL TOY.

Application filed February 8, 1919.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Louis H. DEBS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Musical Toys, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the t pe of musical toy popularly known as a azoo; and my primary object is to provide a construction of this device, whereby its sound-emitting function shall be enhanced and which shall render it structurally substantial and sanitary.

Like another and known toy in this class, the present device comprises, generally stated, a tubetapered toward one end and having a so-called trumpet-feature projecting at right-angles from its diametrically larger portion and containing a diaphragm at its base to be vibrated by the breath in-' troduced into it at its larger end by the user with the latters voice, whereby the maximum resultant air-pressure is directed against the diaphragm and tends to augment its sound-reproducing action. My improvement tends to materially augment this pressure at the diaphragm and to thereby increase its aforesaid action, and also to enhance the desirability of the device in the other particulars referred to.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 shows my improved musical toy, in its normal dimensions, by a view in side elevation Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section of the same, and Fig. 3 is a section on line 38, Fig. 2.

The tubular body of generally cylindrical shape, formed preferably of sheet-metal andhaving an attractive surface-polish, has its rear section 4 of relatively large diameter and of about one-half the entire length of the body. The diameter of the forward section 5 is about two-thirds that of the section 4, this narrower section being tapered at its outer extremity to form the air-outlet opening 6 of about one-half the diameter of the section 5; and these two sections converge one into the other at a tapered neck 7 Near the neck a depression 8 is formed in the top of the wider body-section to extend into the path through the latter, as a constricting element, having its inner edge 9 clenched about the adjacent in-turned edge of a short tube 10 forming a member Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

Serial No. 275,784.

of the trumpet. The return-bend portion 11 of the clenching. medium affords a seat for the vibratory diaphragm 13 having a fiber ring 12 cemented to the edge-portion of its upper face; and a bell-mouthed trumpet-member 14 fits within the member 10 and has its inner end inturned to seat against the diaphragm-ring 12 and clamp the diaphragm against its seat. A pointed projection 15 on the member 14 engages a cam-like bayonet-groove 16 formed in the inner face of the member 10 to serve by turning the member 14: both to lock it in place and unlock it and in locking to tighten its seating seat against the diaphragm-reinforcing rim and thereby tauten or regulate the tension of the diaphragm.

The bell-shaped mouthpiece 17 of the device, shown to be inserted into its outer end, is removable and replaceable for sanitary reasons.

As will be understood, the progressive reduction in diameter of the successive sections of the tubular body terminating in the relatively small outlet 6 tends to induce back-pressure of the breath of the user in operating the device, and accumulation of the pressure at the diaphragm to so direct against it the vibratory action of the voice as to cause it to magnify the sounds it reproduces. This magnifying effect is greatly augmented, and this without in any way impairing or mutilating the sound of the users voice, by the constricting effect of the depression 8 of my improvement pro jecting about the diaphragm into the path through the body-section 1, particularly when supplemented by the short tapered body-section 7. Moreover, the wedging and locking actions of the trumpet-member 1d and resultant tautening or tension-regulating effect on the diaphragm add materially to the effectiveness of the device for modulating the reproduced sounds.

Another and important feature of my improvement is a domelike perforated shield 17 as a feature of the trumpet-device. This shield is preferably formed as the concavoconvex base of the bell-mouthed trumpetmember 14, which is best formed entire of sheet-metal. Its function is, besides that of protecting the diaphragm from impairment in the ordinary hard usage to which this form of toy is subjected, to form an arched air-space over the. diaphragm, and

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induce a megaphone eliect on the sounds re- ,produced by the vibrations of the diaphragm due to the vibration of the air in such airspace, which being more or less confined, tends to reverberate and thus augment the resounding action of the diaphragm thereby supplementing the soundmagnifying'action of thefeatures of construction hereinbefore described for the sound-enhancing purpose.

I claim:

1. A musical toy comprising a tubular body having a section of relatively large diameter and a section of smaller diameter tapered at its outer end to an. air-outlet opening therein, said sections having a tapered-neck connection converging them one into the other, said first-named section having a constrictingtop-depression contalnm'g an opening having an inturned edge, a short tube having an inturned edge and vover which the edge of the top-depression is clenched and a trumpet fitting within said tube and having a diaphragm vibratorily confined therein at said opening. I

2. A musical toy comprising a tubular body having a section of relatively large diameter and a section of smaller diameter tapered at its outer end to an air-outlet opening therein, said sections having a tapered-neck connection converging them one into the other, said first-named section having a constricting top-depression containing an opening'and having an inturned edge forming-a diaphragm-seat, and a trumpet formed of wedgedly interlocking members having a diaphragm vibratorily confined between them and against said seat.

4. A musical toy comprising a tubular body having a section of relatively large diameter provided with a removable bellshaped mouthpiece and a section of smaller diameter tapered at its outer end to an airoutlet opening therein, said sections having a tapered-neck connection converging them one into the other, said first-named section having a constricting top-depression containing an opening having an inturned edge, and a trumpet having a diaphragm vibratorily confined therein at said opening.

51A musical toy comprising a tubular body having a section of relatively large diameter provided with a constricting topdepression containing an opening and having an inturned edge forming a diaphragmseat, and a section of smaller diameter tapered at its outer end to an air-outlet opening therein, said sections having a taperedneck connection converging them one into the other, and a trumpet formed of a tu-' bular member secured to said seat and held in place by the inturned edge thereof and provided with a cam groove, a tubular member fitting said first-named member and provided with a'projection to engage said groove, and a diaphragm confined between said members on said seat. 7

6. A musical toy comprising a tubular body having a section of relatively large diameter and a section of smaller diameter tapered at its outer end to an air-outlet opening therein, said'sections having a tapered-neck connection converging them one into the other, said first-named section having 'a constricting top-depression containing an opening and a trumpet having a diaphragm vibratorily confined therein at said opening, and a perforated dome-like shield in the trumpet covering the diaphragm. V l

' 7. A musical toy comprising a-tubular body having a section of relatively large diameter and a section-of smaller diameter tapered at its outer end to an air-outlet opening therein, said'sections having a tapered-neck connection, said first-named sectlon having a constrictlng top-depression containing an opening, an trumpet formed -of a pair of members having a diaphragm vibratorily confined between them,- and' a perforated dome-like shield at the base of the outer trumpet-member and covering the diaphragm. i

8. A mechanical toy comprising a tubular body having a section of relatively large diameter and a section of smaller diameter tapered at its outer end to an air-outlet. opening therein, said first-named section containing an opening, and a trumpet having a diaphragm vibratorily confined therein at said opening, and a perforated domelike shield in the trumpet covering the diaphg'agm. r Y

ouis mass. 

